Criminal Division Press Releases for September 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Ms-13 Leader Sentenced To Life In Prison For Involvement In Rico Conspiracy
WASHINGTON – A leader of La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, was sentenced today to life in prison for his participation in a racketeering enterprise. (Read more)
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Virginia Physicist Arrested For Illegally Exporting Space Launch Data To China And Offering Bribes To Chinese Officials
WASHINGTON – A physicist in Newport News, Va., was arrested today on charges of illegally exporting space launch technical data and services to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and offering bribes to Chinese government officials. (Read more)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Alleged Ms-13 Gang Members In North Carolina Charged In 70-Count Superseding Indictment
WASHINGTON – Twenty-six alleged members of La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, have been charged in a superseding indictment that now charges 70 criminal counts. (Read more)
Former Alcatel Cit Executive Sentenced For Paying $2.5 Million In Bribes To Senior Costa Rican Officials
WASHINGTON – A former Alcatel CIT (Alcatel) executive was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for engaging in an elaborate bribery scheme to obtain a mobile telephone contract from the state-owned telecommunications authority in Costa Rica by making more than $2.5 million in corrupt payments to Costa Rican officials, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). (Read more)
Monday, September 22, 2008
Foreign National Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy And Alien Smuggling Charges
WASHINGTON –A Ghanaian man pleaded guilty today to charges of conspiracy and alien smuggling in connection with his role in smuggling East Africans into the United States. (Read more)
Los Angeles Jury Convicts Defendant Of Fraud Involving More Than $1.1 Million In False Billing To Medicare
WASHINGTON – A federal jury in Los Angeles today convicted the owner and operator of Pacific City Group Inc., a Los Angeles based durable medical equipment (DME) company, of defrauding the Medicare program. (Read more)
Former State Department Employee Pleads Guilty To Illegally Accessing Confidential Passport Files
WASHINGTON – A former State Department employee pleaded guilty today to illegally accessing hundreds of confidential passport application files, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division announced. (Read more)
Friday, September 19, 2008
California Man Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Charge
WASHINGTON – A Redding, Calif., man pleaded guilty today in Sacramento, Calif., to one count of possession of child pornography and to three violations of his supervised release conditions, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Matthew Friedrich and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California McGregor W. Scott announced. (Read more)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Glendale, Calif., Company Owner Convicted For Role In Scheme To Defraud First International Bank And Export-Import Bank
WASHINGTON – A federal jury in Los Angeles today convicted the owner of Serv-Ease Office Systems Inc., a Glendale, Calif., company, for his role in a $1.3 million scheme to defraud First International Bank of Connecticut (FIB) and the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank). (Read more)
Medicare Strike Force Indicts 18 Los Angeles Area Residents For Health Care Related Fraud
WASHINGTON – Eighteen Los Angeles area residents have been charged in eight separate indictments for their roles in Medicare fraud schemes totaling more than $33 million. (Read more)
Fbi Employee Sentenced For Accepting An Illegal Gratuity
WASHINGTON – A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) employee was sentenced today to two years probation for accepting an illegal gratuity for the performance of his official duties. (Read more)
Miami Physician’s Assistant Pleads Guilty To Role In $119 Million Hiv Infusion Fraud Scheme
WASHINGTON – Miami physician’s assistant Thomas McKenzie pleaded guilty today to defrauding the Medicare program in connection with a $119 million HIV infusion fraud scheme. (Read more)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
175 Alleged Gulf Cartel Members And Associates Arrested In Massive International Law Enforcement Operation
WASHINGTON – Today Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey announced that 175 individuals were arrested today and on Sept. 16, 2008, on charges related to an international drug trafficking cartel in a coordinated enforcement action by hundreds of international, federal, state and local law enforcement officials throughout the United States and Italy. (Read more)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Federal Grand Jury Charges Florida Man With Obscenity Violations
WASHINGTON – A Florida producer has been charged by a federal grand jury in Billings, Mont., with distributing obscene DVDs through the mails, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Matthew Friedrich and U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana William Mercer announced today. (Read more)
Ms-13 Leader Sentenced To 45 Years In Prison For Involvement In Rico Conspiracy
WASHINGTON – A leader of La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, was sentenced today to 45 years in prison for his participation in a racketeering enterprise. (Read more)
Former Department Of Interior Official Pleads Guilty To Felony Violation Of Post Employment Conflict Law
WASHINGTON – The former deputy associate director of Minerals Revenue Management at the Mineral Management Service of the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) pleaded guilty today to a felony violation of the post government employment restrictions, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich announced. (Read more)
Friday, September 12, 2008
Eleven Indicted For Conspiracy To Cheat Twelve Casinos Across The United States
WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in San Diego has indicted 11 defendants for an alleged conspiracy to cheat 12 casinos across the country, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Matthew Friedrich and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Karen P. Hewitt announced today. (Read more)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Two Miami Physicians Plead Guilty And Admit Ordering $6.8 Million Worth Of Unnecessary Hiv Infusion Treatments
WASHINGTON – Miami physicians, Carlos Contreras, M.D., and Ramon Pichardo, M.D., each pleaded guilty today to defrauding the Medicare program in connection with a $6.8 million HIV infusion fraud scheme. (Read more)
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Miami Hiv Clinic Administrator Pleads Guilty For Role In A $14 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
WASHINGTON – Miami resident Dilcia Marinez, 57, pleaded guilty today to her role in defrauding the Medicare program and laundering the proceeds of the crimes in connection with a $14 million HIV infusion fraud scheme. (Read more)
High-Ranking Web Site Administrator Sentenced In Peer-To-Peer Piracy Crackdown
WASHINGTON – Daniel Dove, 26, formerly of Clintwood, Va., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge James P. Jones to 18 months in prison for his role as a high-ranking administrator of a peer-to-peer (P2P) Internet piracy group, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich announced today. (Read more)
Monday, September 8, 2008
Malaysia Resident Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For Role In International Online Brokerage Scheme
WASHINGTON –A resident of Malaysia was sentenced today to two years in prison on a conspiracy charge that arose from an international fraud scheme to “hack” into online brokerage accounts in the United States and use those accounts to manipulate stock prices. (Read more)
Girlfriend Of Ms-13 Member Sentenced To 46 Months In Prison For Involvement In Rico Conspiracy
WASHINGTON – The girlfriend of a member of La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for her participation in a racketeering enterprise. (Read more)
Friday, September 5, 2008
Appeals Court Affirms Decision To Revoke The U.S. Citizenship Of Detroit-Area Man Who Shot Jewish Civilians While Serving As A Nazi Policeman
WASHINGTON –The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a March 2007 ruling by the U.S. District Court in Detroit revoking the U.S. citizenship of John (Ivan) Kalymon, 87, of Troy, Mich., because of his participation in violent acts of persecution while serving during World War II as an armed member of the Nazi-sponsored Ukrainian Auxiliary Police. (Read more)
Philadelphia Export Company And Employees Indicted For Paying Bribes To Foreign Officials
WASHINGTON – Four individuals were arrested today on charges that they and their company, Nexus Technologies Inc., paid bribes to various Vietnamese government officials in exchange for lucrative contracts to supply equipment and technology to Vietnamese government agencies, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). (Read more)
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Former Lobbyist Jack Abram Off Sentenced To 48 Months In Prison On Charges Involving Corruption, Fraud, Conspiracy And Tax Evasion
WASHINGTON – Former lobbyist Jack A. Abramoff was sentenced today to 48 months in prison and ordered to pay $23,134,695 in restitution to victims based on his guilty plea to conspiracy, honest services fraud and tax evasion charges. (Read more)
Civilian Contractor Charged In Superseding Indictment For Allegedly Paying Bribes While At Camp Arifjan In Kuwait
WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a superseding indictment today against a civilian contractor for allegedly paying bribes to Army contracting officials at Camp Arifjan, an Army base in Kuwait, and for committing honest services fraud in connection with the same conduct, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division announced. (Read more)
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Former Officer And Director Of Global Engineering And Construction Company Pleads Guilty To Foreign Bribery And Kickback Charges
WASHINGTON – Albert “Jack” Stanley, a former officer and director of a global engineering, construction and services company based in Houston, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by participating in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials to obtain engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts and to conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud as part of a separate kickback scheme. (Read more)
Disaster Fraud Hotline Available To Report Hurricane Gustav-Related Fraud
WASHINGTON – In the wake of Hurricane Gustav and resulting recovery efforts, the Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force is reminding members of the public to report any instances of alleged fraudulent activity related to Hurricane Gustav. (Read more)
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Former Bank Of China Managers And Their Wives Convicted For Stealing More Than $485 Million, Laundering Money Through Las Vegas Casinos
WASHINGTON – Two former managers of the Bank of China and their wives were convicted on Aug. 29, 2008, by a federal jury in Las Vegas on charges of racketeering, money laundering, international transportation of stolen property as well as passport and visa fraud. (Read more)
Former Itxc Corporation Executives Sentenced For Roles In Foreign Bribery Scheme
WASHINGTON – A former managing director of ITXC Corporation was sentenced today to serve five years probation, including three months of home confinement and three months in a community confinement center for his role in a foreign bribery scheme involving telecommunications contracts in Africa. (Read more)
Man Pleads Guilty For Role In Scheme To Defraud Department Of Veterans Affairs
WASHINGTON – The ex-boyfriend of a former Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) social work associate pleaded guilty today for his role in a scheme to defraud the United States of the associate’s honest services in connection with her work finding suitable housing and daily care for mentally ill and disabled military veterans. (Read more)